HELEN Weller was 23 years old when she started going bald.

Living in Bournemouth and married, she was expecting her first child and started noticing clumps of hair coming out in the shower.

She was quietly panicking about the amount she was shedding but remained silent out of embarrassment.

“I thought it must be related to the pregnancy,” she told the Daily Echo. “I thought after my son was born that would be it – it would get better – but instead it just carried on.

“I tried to shut it out. I tried to hide it. I tried to do anything I could to cover the worst of the bald patches, but my hair was just getting thinner and thinner.”

Her confidence began to deteriorate and it was only when she revealed the extent of the hair loss to her mum some five years later that she sought medical help.

Referred to Christchurch Hospital for tests, Helen was diagnosed with alopecia. She had hopes that with the problem identified, the experts would be able to help. That was not the case.

“I still to this day have not received any treatment,” she said. “I think if you have an illness and you need a particular drug to help you all the time, you should get that. But with alopecia you can’t get that, you just get NHS vouchers for synthetic wigs. Believe me synthetic is not what you want. I don’t want to be walking down the street and everyone to think ‘oh she’s got a hair piece on’. It makes you self-conscious and knocks your confidence and self-esteem.”

Two years ago, however, she discovered the Simone Thomas Salon in Westbourne, which she credits with changing her life.

Simone, a former model, lost her hair at a similar age to Helen as a result of cancer treatment. She has since dedicated years to research in the area, working with Lewis-Manning Hospice and supplying cancer sufferers with her own brand of hair pieces. She has been frustrated by the lack of variety available on the NHS, which she says limits the options to “short and long or dark, blonde and grey.”

Helen, now 36 and sporting a piece by Simone made entirely of human hair, can feel her confidence returning.

“Before I met Simone I didn’t have a clue what I was doing,” said Helen. “I thought one day I won’t be able to go out of the front door and I’m not that type of person. But since being at Simone’s salon, being looked after by her staff and the hair pieces – everything has changed.”

Helen says she is resigned to never regaining her own hair, adding: “If you have alopecia, I’d say to you ‘don’t sit and hide – there are people out there who can help.’”